The male supporting character was actually myself.

He Gousheng's family of three: ∑('△｀)？ !

Did He Jiangchen get kicked in the head by a donkey after helping someone else go on a blind date?

However, this is a great opportunity to clear his name in front of the villagers, who certainly won't readily admit to the fact that he has mistreated his nephew over the years.

“That’s right! That’s right! We’ve saved up grain for so many years, it can sell for a lot of money.” He Gousheng used his remaining brain to think that his nephew was indeed very sensible for not embarrassing him in public or taking the opportunity to cause trouble, so he hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Qian Shuandi clapped her hands and cried out, "Secretary, everyone heard it with their own ears! People have been saying that our family bullied our nephew. Today we're clearing their name! We've never done anything so heinous. Our nephew always harvests the grain from the fields himself!"

"If anyone ever speaks ill of us behind our backs again, I, Qian Shuandi, will not stand for it!"

"My mother is right!" Although He Yongqiang didn't understand what was going on, he knew that following his mother's lead was always the right thing to do at crucial moments. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, saying, "If anyone dares to slander our family again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

The village party secretary twitched his lips, feeling a tightness in his chest.

What does it mean to be hopeless? He Jiangchen is a perfect example!

Now that things have gotten this bad, instead of taking this opportunity to make amends and get his elders to take charge, he's actually trying to erase all those past messes—he's hopeless.

Any family that dares to marry their daughter to him is incredibly foolish!

It's better to avoid trouble. Anyway, it's none of my business, so if He Jiangchen is willing to suffer injustice, then I'll just have to accept it.

Thinking of this, the village secretary didn't want to get involved anymore. He waved his hand impatiently and said, "Alright, alright, everyone go home."

"Hey?" Jiang Chen quickly stopped the sullen-looking village secretary, pointed to the messy courtyard, and asked curiously, "Secretary, why aren't you doing anything about it? What should we do about my house?"

The village party secretary gave him a look of disappointment and frustration, and said, "What do you suggest we do?"

"Even though he's Old He's nephew, he lives in a separate house. He jumped over the wall with a ladder and broke my door lock... It's unreasonable for his own uncle and aunt to do something like this!"

Seeing that he finally knew to say a few fair words for them, the aunties and grandmas who were watching immediately set the mood for a good show.

"That's right! Gou Sheng's wife, you've got your eye on this new set of bedding that your nephew bought, haven't you?"

"Luckily we didn't break it open or go inside, otherwise if other things had been stolen, we wouldn't have been able to explain it."

“You can jump over the wall into your nephew’s yard when no one’s around today, but what if you jump over the wall into someone else’s yard when the neighbors are working in the fields tomorrow? Not every household keeps a dog!”

“Auntie is right, it’s hard for the villagers to feel at ease with your behavior.”

"Door locks can hold the door shut, but they can't keep people out. It's very easy to break them open. People in our village have had things stolen before, right? You guys are a bit..."

…………

In those days, everyone in the village was dirt poor, and their homes had nothing of value.

But precisely because resources were so scarce, even a broken tile was treated like a treasure, and the few possessions they had were even more vulnerable to theft!

It's almost time for the busy farming season again. Respectable families are out working in the fields and their homes are often empty for long periods. On the other hand, He Gousheng's family of three is known for never going to the fields and spending all their time playing cards and wandering around. If they happen to steal something, who can stop them?

Previously, some families had lost their belongings, but if they couldn't catch the thief red-handed, they couldn't just falsely accuse anyone. Now, this family openly jumped over the wall and broke the door lock, which inevitably aroused suspicion.

“Secretary, that’s not how it works!” Qian Shuandi panicked when she heard the wind was blowing and hurriedly explained, “I admit that what we did today was not ethical.”

To put it bluntly, my family is poor and I crave meat too much!

Gousheng said that his nephew's dog was so hungry that it couldn't even walk. I thought to myself that my nephew is kind-hearted and would never eat his own guard dog. I figured that if it starved to death, he would just bury it somewhere.

Why not, for the sake of my cravings, throw away all shame and bring over my nephew's dying dog... kill it and eat it!

It's really embarrassing, to say the least. I failed to steal the dog and ended up getting bitten. I broke the lock in a moment of panic; I really didn't mean to steal anything from the house..."

He Gousheng listened to his wife's attempt to make amends and hurriedly nodded, "Yes, yes, that's exactly it! Secretary, you see, although our He family is a small family, we have lived in Qilizhuang for generations. How could we be thieves?"

This was just a momentary craving!

But then he thought, "He's my nephew after all, so even if this gets out, it's not a big deal..."

"Starving to death?!" The village secretary interrupted him, glancing at the spirited yellow dog squatting at Jiang Chen's feet, its tongue lolling out and panting. He gave the dog a look of utter disgust, as if to say, "Are you kidding me?" "You call this starving to death? Who are you trying to fool?!"

He Gousheng was almost in tears.

I saw that dog was so listless when it drank water this morning, how come it's so lively and energetic?

"I just wanted to get some dog meat to eat!" he pleaded, emphasizing his words. "Secretary, I really didn't have any other intentions, and I've never been a thief. This...this nephew of mine is so good to me, giving me whatever I want. I just thought it was just a dog, nothing serious. I know I was wrong, and I'll never do it again!"

The village party secretary didn't say anything, but turned around and glanced at the victim.

Jiang Chen remained silent, as if considering how to handle the situation. In reality, he was wondering why the main system was no longer issuing tasks.

Do the relevant departments really want to just stand by and watch themselves make things difficult for the main character?

After waiting for more than ten seconds, just as Jiang Chen was about to give up and take the opportunity to complete the task and make his request, the main system belatedly sounded a reminder.

[Mission: Rescue He Yongqiang's family within five minutes and drop the matter. Reward: One-time use C-grade item x1]

Hehe ~

Now we can get the props.

Chapter Eighteen: Incorporation

Staying by the protagonist's side is obviously a chance to take advantage of the situation!

Having achieved all his goals, Jiang Chen was secretly pleased, but his face was very serious. "Secretary, I think this matter is neither a big deal nor a small one."

After all, we're all family, and he's my only uncle.

If I were to follow the village's rules for dealing with thieves, I truly couldn't bring myself to do it.

But if they can target my guard dog today, who knows what they'll do to me tomorrow? I might as well take this opportunity to have a serious talk with my uncle.”

He turned to look at He Gousheng and said earnestly, "Uncle, I lost my parents when I was young. You said I couldn't manage such a big business, so I brought everything I could move and carry to your house to keep for me."

I'm 21 this year, and it's time for me to start a family and build a career.

Forget about the rest, the pair of camphor wood chests my mother left behind are her dowry and her only keepsake. I'm thinking of bringing them back, and I'll get other things from her.

From now on, we should all have some sense of boundaries.

Every family has its own way of doing things, and I don't like you interfering too much and pointing fingers. I, He Jiangchen, believe I've treated you all quite well, but this time you came into the yard without permission and broke the lock, which really hurt my feelings.

The first time I chose to forgive and stay away, but if it happens a second time, don't blame my nephew for being heartless. We'll deal with whatever comes next.

Whether the village secretary decides to handle it according to the village rules, or I hand him over to the police station, I will not show him any leniency!

"Go and bring over the camphor wood chest that was part of my mother's dowry. That'll settle this matter, and I won't pursue it further. What do you think, Secretary?"

The village secretary squinted at him, thinking that although the kid was a bit timid, he had given his uncle enough face by being polite first and then resorting to force, which was acceptable.

Otherwise, if they are treated as thieves, these two families will inevitably use this as an excuse to cause trouble in the future, which will be a real problem.

"Fine, since the aggrieved party has said so, I have no objection." He waved his hand impatiently and said, "I haven't even finished my lunch yet, it's so embarrassing to make such a scene!"

"Gousheng, don't say anything more. Go and bring over the camphor wood chest now, everyone can be a witness. Don't dawdle and waste time."

He Gousheng looked up at his nephew's innocent-looking face with a resentful expression, feeling quite uncomfortable.

"I'll go now... I need to pack." Qian Shuandi's eyes twitched a few times, she was very reluctant to part with the pair of beautiful and practical camphor wood chests.

The best thing she had managed to plunder from this courtyard back then was the pair of dowry chests, which she had treasured for years and loved dearly. The thought of having to return what she had already obtained made her grit her teeth in hatred.

The wounds on my body are burning with pain;

My heart aches as I part with a pair of camphor wood chests;

Qian Shuandi felt so upset that she barely had the strength to walk. But she couldn't throw a tantrum in front of so many people, otherwise, if He Jiangchen gave in, the three of them would be treated like thieves.

If a thief is caught breaking into a village, breaking his legs or arms is the least of their worries!

He would be despised by everyone, and he would never be able to show his face in the village again. Perhaps if he kept talking about it, even more people would know that his son's beautiful wife was about to leave him...

Limping home, the couple cleaned out the contents of the camphor wood chest. Covered in blood and dressed in tattered clothes, they hurriedly carried the chest over.

Hearing the notification that the task was completed, Jiang Chen's lips curled up slightly as he planned what to do next.

"Cough cough!"

The crowd of onlookers finally dispersed amidst sighs and laughter. He watched as the four wayward boys tried to blend into the crowd and leave, coughed twice, and looked at them coldly.

The blond-haired guy, being the most perceptive, quickly grabbed his underling and approached with a fawning smile, "Brother Chen, let us help you move the boxes inside. Where do you think would be a good place to put them?"

Have you eaten yet?

"Huh?" The group of blond-haired men were clearly surprised by his question. They scratched their heads and laughed sheepishly, "We don't work in the fields. We only eat two meals a day."

Jiang Chen found it even stranger. The original owner basically spent all her time in the fields except when she went home to sleep, and didn't pay much attention to the people and things in the village, so she couldn't understand their behavior.

"You're all strong young men in your twenties, why aren't you working?"

Huang Mao was even more embarrassed, shrinking his neck and looking helpless. "There's nothing to do. You've all been rooted in the village for generations. Each of you has been allocated three acres of land, and it hasn't been touched in almost twenty years."

Our families were all assigned here after the movement, relying on relatives and friends. Take my family for example, we are related to the Party Secretary by the same surname, but we can't be too special, can we?

The whole family of seven or eight only has two or three acres of land and there's not much to do.

"Wandering around every day can earn you some extra money and save you some food at home..."

Towards the end, the blond-haired man lowered his voice, sounding a little guilty.

They often tried to find something to talk about with He Jiangchen, since ninety percent of the families in the village didn't dare to mess with him, so they could only pick on the weak.

“Sometimes we hunt a few birds or rabbits, roast them, and have some meat!” another skinny, beady-eyed henchman whispered, “It’s not all about robbing others.”

Jiang Chen carefully searched through the original owner's memories.

It seems there was such a thing. A few years ago, there were all sorts of political movements and reforms going on everywhere, and some small villages with only a few households were split up and merged. Qilizhuang was one of the villages that was incorporated into the system, and there was even a big meeting held to distribute houses and land...

“It’s not good for you guys to just laze around like this.” He pondered for a moment, looked at the house and yard that needed renovation, and sighed, “Why don’t you come work for me for now? I’ll hire you!”

The four thugs looked at each other, bewildered.

I wondered to myself, why is He Jiangchen acting like a different person today?

With your poverty, where you don't even have a stool in this room, how are you going to hire anyone?

Huang Mao was wondering to himself, but fearing he'd get beaten up for telling the truth, he could only ask with a grin, "Brother Chen, what do you need us for?"

“There’s plenty of work to do. In the next couple of days, we’ll paint the house first, then build two side rooms. After that, there’ll be farm work on nine acres of land. That should be enough for the four of you to do.”

Regarding salary and benefits..."

Jiang Chen thought about it carefully, "If you work here, you can have lunch provided, with vegetables and meat to make sure you're full; as for wages, I'll give each of you two yuan a month, one yuan at the beginning of the month and one yuan at the end of the month."

Just focus on your work and get paid on time. If you go out and make a scene...